Quote:
Originally Posted by
xandrew245x http:///t/389883/75-gallon-tank-build/120#post_3452335
Heres the design for my refuge, simple but effective.
I plan on having teeth on the baffle leaving the refuge so nothing accidently floats out.
Any advice or improvements are welcome!
Make sure 6" is enough room for your skimmer to operate effectively. Second, a 15" refuge is a big one for a 75 gallon tank. I would say make it 10" increase your return side by 2" and your skimmer section by 2".
Here is the main issues in this design though. Skimmers are made to sit in about 6-8" of water, to operate effectively. You have it in about that. You can raise it if needed with eggcrate with PVC legs. However, that means your refuge is probably an 1" lower than that. Which makes it probably 5-6", high, so we end up with say a 3-4" sand bed for it to be really effective and that leaves you with 2" or so to add algae and LR.
If you go with Skimmer Section -> RETURN <- Refuge. This will allow for you to run the skimmer and the refuge at equal height if needed. You would simply T off your overflow and use ball valves to control how much goes into your fuge or skimmer section. This can be beneficial also as you want a smooth steady flow through your fuge.
The bigger the RETURN section the less frequent you will have to worry about your pump sucking air. Also if and when you decide to add an ATO to your system, it won't have to turn on so often, which extends the life of the pump instead of it cutting on for a few seconds at a time.
